Susan has worked in a number of posts both in the UK and in Latin America. These have capitalised on clinical and research expertise related to speech, language and communication, particularly with children and adults with neuro-developmental disabilities. After spending seven years in Bolivia working in clinical and research roles, she held a lecturer post at Manchester Metropolitan University before taking up a job at the University of East Anglia. Here she completed her PhD and led as Course Director on the speech and language therapy programme. In 2019, Susan joined the School of Health Sciences at Dundee University where she continues to carry out research related to communication and health with marginalised populations. 

Susan’s main focus in research lies in building capacity for improved health and well-being through optimising language and communication with children and adults with neuro-developmental disabilities (intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, autistic spectrum conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Deafness and hearing impairment). 

Her work incorporates relevant areas related to health literacy and health communication, alternative and augmentative communication (AAC), working with families of children with profound and multiple intellectual disabilities, living with disabilities in developing countries, evaluation of services for people with communication disabilities (Latin America and UK) and other marginalised groups.

Susan uses both quantitative and qualitative approaches, and mixed methods involving experimental designs alongside linguistic analysis and linguistic discourse analysis. She has experience of implementing observational studies, surveys, focus groups and interviews with people who have communication disabilities. She has also run participatory action research in developing country contexts.

Current projects include:

Gypsy/ Traveller Community Health Workers - Grampian. Grampian Health and Social Care Partnership, (McFadden, A., Buell, S., Fang, M., Gray, N., & Sixsmith, J.)

Reading for Fun Project (January 2020 – January 2021) Institute for Social Sciences Research (ISSR): Interdisciplinary Incubator Grant Funding, (Buell, S., Beckenbridge, J., Jindal-Snape, D., Nabizadeh, G.)

Susan currently teaches on research methods modules and is leading the integration and implementation of aspects of communication in health and intellectual disability across the nursing programmes.